In what seems like a lifetime ago, I was introduced to the work of Ron Athey. I was in my mid-20s, and I was not equipped to understand the breadth and scope of his work. It still left a massive impact on my understanding of what it means to be a performance artist. Years later, and half a decade into suspension and modification communities, I re-visited his work, and it has been wildly instrumental in informing my thought process as a performance and installation artist.
For close to 3 decades now, he has been pushing the boundaries of performance and art, heavily inhabiting the fringes of the art world. He has unapologetically explored topics ranging from queerdom and sexuality, to spirituality and physical pain. To be honest, trying to cover everything he has done with his work in short form format like this, feels kind of weak. Check out his CV/accomplishments here. It’s incredibly rare that an artist can cover so much ground without being mainstream, and still be active in their realm of creativity. This says a lot about his relationship with his art.
Folks talk a lot about how visceral my work is with suspension. You have no idea what visceral means until you’ve seen him perform in person. I encourage everybody to check out his work, not because it’s shocking, but because he is a master of conveying very complex narratives with incredibly unnerving visual exhibitions. Discomfort is a perfect vehicle, in my opinion, for shaking the rigidity in our minds loose just long enough that we can reconsider our personal perspectives of the world. Ron skillfully burrows his concepts into your mind, after cracking open fissures in your daily facade that is your comfort zone.
Please take the time if you could, to get a feel for who he is by listening to him talk in the video below. He is so brutally honest, and has such a complicated mind, and yet a wildly accessible approach to everything.
You can follow Ron on Twitter if you are so inclined. I hope you can dive a little deeper into his vast body of work, and find the inspiration and motivation I find every time I revisit it. I believe he will be performing in Europe this Spring!
This is a big week for art on my end.
Interview with Marielle on my podcast this Wednesday!
Manifold erc-721 drops happening today, and Wednesday, and a big 64 piece collection on Foundation this Friday!
See you on the other side.